Most organizations today use databases for storing and retrieving data. Each database contains vast amounts of objects (tables, stored procedures etc.) that require constant maintenance, structural changes and data updates, from the very moment the database is created, and throughout the system's life cycle.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Generally, although not necessarily, the nomenclature used herein is well known and commonly employed in the art. Accordingly, the following definitions are provided for clarity of understanding only and are by no means binding. Data Manipulation Language (DML) is a family of computer languages used by computer programs or database users to retrieve, insert, delete and update data in a database. A popular data manipulation language is that of SQL, which uses DML commands to retrieve and manipulate data in a Relational database.
Data Definition Language (DDL) is a computer language for defining data structures (using DDL commands). For example, a subset of SQL's instructions forms a DDL. These SQL statements (“commands”) define the structure of a database (also termed “database schema”), and more specifically the structure of database objects (“schema objects”) including rows, columns, tables, the fields in each table, and the relationships between fields and tables, indexes, and database specifics such as file locations. Schemas are generally stored in a data dictionary.
Although a schema is defined in text database language, the term is often used to refer to a graphical depiction of the database structure.
The following is a list of related art:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,642 entitled “Method and system for integrating an object-based application with a version control system” discloses a method and system for integrating an object-based application with a version control system. Selected objects of an application such as a database are converted to individual text files and written to a temporary folder. The individual text files are then exported from the temporary folder to a version control system, whereby the version control system manages the files for developers and other developers according to its capabilities. Developers can check in individual objects for revising, whereby the text file corresponding to the checked-in object is exported by the version control system to a temporary folder and the data therein converted back into data in the object. An application program interface is provided to facilitate communication between application programs and the version control program for importing and exporting the text files and exchanging other related information.
US2005/0234934 entitled “System and method for controlling the release of updates to a database configuration” discloses a program product to perform a method for updating database objects in database servers. The program product causes the computer system to perform steps of receive user specified database schema files for release to a list of corresponding database servers where modifications are to occur, wherein each schema file includes proposed database object structures, and verify that the schema files contain valid DDL commands. The computer system verifies that the user has proper permission to modify the database object structures, and compares existing database object structures to the proposed database object structures to determine if the existing database object structures need to be modified. If the existing database object structures need to be modified, then the computer system modifies the existing database object structures, creates release notes that include documentation related to modifications of the database object structures, and sends the release notes to predefined addresses.